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France
History The Free French Forces, Forces Françaises Libres, FFl at the start of WWII was a reasonably well equipped and trained (though ill organised) army, and everyone expected them to triumph in their defense against the German Blitzkrieg. However despite its excellent fortifications along the border and high morale France lost, because of their own faults and the German plans of outflanking the Maginot line. In reality the French soldiers fought hard to defend their country, but due to major flaws in organisation and doctrine (namely in the areas of armored and air warfare), caused mainly by mental rigidity in the higher command levels and a strong general belief in the superiority of the static defense and methodical warfare, they were unable to counter the lightning fast and terrifying German assault. However even when France collapsed and fractured, the war was fought on in North Africa by the Free French, and the German puppet state Vichy that fought against the allies well into 1944. Description France in Ruse offers a unique playstyle, and a talented Ruse Commander can find themselves standing toe to toe with history's winners, Hitler's Wehrmacht, and defeating them. France has a powerful mix of early game weaponry and powerful defensive units, allowing them to strike at the enemy and never let up until the battle is won. Their largest advantage is an early access to advanced equipment that doesn't require research, and this allows them to achieve almost total dominance in earlier game modes such as 1939 and 1942, where they posses a wide variety of units early on. Especially in comparison to other factions like Germany who lack any of their tanks beyond the Panzer III in the 1939 mode, and in 1942 have no ability produce their extremely powerful jet aircraft and prototype units that are very dangerous in the late game. France possess a fairly balanced unit roster fielding capable units in almost every classification; however it's only significant weakness is it's air force, which is equipped with outdated and poorly built planes. Similarily, the French posess awful anti-air capability, making their assualts very vulnerable to fighter-bombers unless escorted by the FCM-F1. This weakness in air power can leave them vulnerable to more air centric nations such as the United Kingdom, and the United States. However outside of the mediocre air force the roster quickly improves for example, France fields a strong mix of armored forces (B1 Bis, S35) especially in comparison to their early game counterparts. Alongside the tanks come Frances infantry forces, which include the powerful Legionnaires who are the only barracks infantry given the moniker "Elite". Powerful Artillery and Antitank guns are also available to France, but their coup de grâce is their heavy fortifications, namely the famous (or infamous) Maginot Bunker which was historically a component of the failed Maginot Line ,but now serves as France's peerless unit. A single Maginot deployed at the right spot can cripple an enemy advance or force them to allocate resources to build units simply to destroy this one bunker. However like all fortifications it is not invincible and concentrated artillery and bombing will easily destroy it. French units do not rout any faster than those of the other factions. The myth of the French being cowardly is just that - a myth. France's surrender in 1940 was caused by an incapacity to wage war effectively, and thus Vichy France was created as the Free French continued the fight in Africa and in small-scale rebellions in German-occupied France. I can not state enough how easy it is to bomb the French into submission. Make sure you have plenty of planes when facing them. Strategies France's main strategy is to let the enemy come to them, in a turtling tactic. Mid-late game, after the French economy has been built up to a considerable level, the player may give good thought towards an offensive strategy, but early-mid game is a time for defense. However, the French have plenty of units, including considerable tanks and infantry, to use later in the game to attack the enemy. *Elite infantry and advanced Anti-tank weapons are avaliable at the beginning of the game. They are superb defensive units early on, and all the way through till the end. *The SAU-40 is a perhaps one of France's most valuable asset. An assualt gun/tank, it can clear our forests without taking anydamage from anti-tank weapons. Similarily, it can hold its own against enemy armor, and also be able to demolish buildings at a distance. *The French H39 light tank is also the most effective light tank in the game, albeit the slowest armor unit as well. It has good armor protection (for a light tank) and is cheap to produce. They, along with infantry, prove to be excellent defence units. *Make sure to deploy several anti-air guns at a time, as the Camel is the only standard anti-air unit that France posesses. *Don't be afraid to use EBR armored recon units as a standard attack weapon. It has the same weaponry as a Russian heavy tank, and the same armor as a Sherman. It also has recon ability, making it impossible to ambush. Units Headquarters *Fortified Position - Small re-enforced concrete bunker with 47mm cannon and BOFORS AA gun. *Maginot Bunker - Twin 47mm guns and flamethrower. Unquestionably the most powerful bunker in the game. *Camion de Ravitaillement - Supply truck. *Sapeurs - Engineering truck. Le Barracks *F.F.L. - Basic Infantry. The 'Free French Legion' is the early-game terror of light armor. *Legionnaires - Elite Infantry. The Foreign Legion can put a serious hurt on even the toughest armor. *H39 - French light infantry tank. Weak, but a cheap and early anti-infantry response. Artillery & AA Base *Camel - 25mm Anti-Aircraft guns. Weak, unless deployed in large-scale air defense networks. *Canon 75mm - Basic artillery. Weak individual damage; best deployed in groups. *Canon GPF 155mm - Heavy artillery. weak damage and slow firing offset by substantial range. Armor Base *Panhard (Recon) - Armored car recon vehicle, armed with 37mm gun and .30-caliber machine guns. *S35 - Medium 'cavalry' tank. **Sau 40 - Advanced Medium Tank. Sau tank chassis fitted with bigger 75mm gun. *B1 Bis - Heavy tank. Ideally engages only infantry and vehicles. **ARL 44 - Heavy tank. French prototype based on German 'Tiger' Anti-Tank Base *AT 25mm - Light Anti-Tank guns. Effective in groups and in ambush. *AT 47mm - Medium Anti-Tank guns. Major improvement over the 25mm. *Laffly W15 - Light tank-destroyer. 47mm gun on an artillery truck-bed. Fragile, yet fast. **Lorraine - Medium tank-destroyer. Extra range and firepower, but without losing its predecessor's mobility. Airfield *Potez (Recon) - Sturdy surveillance plane with weak self-defense machine guns. *Skytrain - Transport plane. Deploys paratroopers. *Chasseurs-Paras - Paratroopers. Advanced infantry, though not as powerful as the Legionnaires. *MS406 - Fighter plane. Mediocre air-to-air combatant, but good at strafing infantry and vehicles. **D520 - Advanced fighter. Air-to-air combat prowess is somewhat improved. *Guppy - Fighter-Bomber. Weak air presence, but well-armed for infantry, vehicles and fortifications. *Amiot - Bomber. Decent bombing payload, but lacks firepower to fight off aerial aggressors. Prototypes *EBR (Recon) - 'Armored car' Recon vehicle. Moderately-powerful 75mm gun and .30-caliber machine guns. *ARL 40 - Armored Artillery. Bombardments ineffective against armored units. *FCM F1 - Super-Heavy Tank. Equipped to engage all enemy unit types.